3 ways to get out of a songwriting rut

1. Look for Inspiration in places you haven’t thought of before.

Some of you may be familiar with this but the importance of this piece of advice can never be overlooked!  If you are stuck in a rut and just can’t seem to think of anything new to write music on, then I highly recommend enveloping yourself in a completely new experience.  Go outside of what you feel comfortable with; whether that be sky diving or rollerblading and experience the world around you! 

Also, while you do this, it is always wise to “Keep the Beginner’s Mind.”  So if you are aware of and learn from everything in this new experience, I can guarantee that you will walk away with new inspiration.

2. Just write it down!

I know that many artists have found themselves writing about the same topic over and over again.  This is not a bad thing, however if you consciously let this fear of “plagiarizing” yourself hold you back from writing a new song, then it can be a very bad thing.  I received some great advice from a very experienced Songwriter on this subject and I would like to share it with all of you (paraphrased of course).

“Obviously if you find yourself writing about the same topic, then you’re not over it.  You’re still going through whatever it is you’re going through at that time and as an artist the most important thing you can do is not censor yourself and be true to every part of you.  The dark, the light, the stupid, the funny and it doesn’t matter if you’ve written about this same subject a hundred times before, because the universe won’t let you copy yourself note for note or lyric for lyric again.  No matter how hard you try, you can’t control the nature of the universe and it won’t let you copy and paste.  So just write it down!”

3. Hit the wrong note!

There is a joke among musicians that if you hit a wrong note once, then shame on you, but if you hit it twice then you’re playing Jazz. 

Just try it. Most artist have a style of music that they constantly play, and so they don't move away from the chords that that style of music involves. Just start playing what you normally play and then purposfully play a dischord or a wrong grace note. This way you might be able to make so more interesting and original melodies.

So now I urge all of you Songwriters and Composers to take these 3 tools and apply them whenever you can.  Even if your not stuck in a rut, it can’t be a bad thing to go out and experience something new or consciously make an effort to play something different!